State official helps ease WASI tensions

WASILLA — Acting with transparency, integrity and not taking things too personally seemed to be the main take-away from Thursday’s Wasilla Area Seniors Inc. Board of Director’s meeting.

Such was the advice of Duane Mayes, director of Senior and Disability Services for the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services as he addressed the WASI board and about 35 members in attendance.

“When it comes to my leadership style, the two things that are extremely important to me are transparency — because we are public servants and so we have a responsibility to let people know what’s going — and the ability to partner outside the organization with other entities. We consider WASI to be a partner,” said Mayes, who lived in Wasilla for several years before moving to Eagle River to be closer to his work in Anchorage. “I have worked with seniors for much of my life, so it’s very important to me that I give 150 percent to the effort. Another important principle for me is my integrity — being impeccable to my word.”

Also high on Mayes’ list of principles are to never make assumptions and to never take things personally.

“If you take things personally you become emotive and it’s like dumbing down your IQ, because now you’re responding through emotion,” Mayes said. “If we can work very hard to remove that emotion and be very objective and look at all the facts in front of us and make sound decisions, we will go far.”

Mayes had been invited to attend the WASI meeting after a few WASI members and Wasilla City Councilwoman Dianne Woodruff recently sent letters and emails to the state Attorney General, the Department of Health and Social Services and Sen. Linda Menard’s office in the hopes of gaining some assistance in their efforts to get the board and WASI Executive Director Sondra Kaplan to be more transparent and inclusive of members.

Mayes said that since WASI receives state grant funds for its food program, he felt it was his duty to visit the facility and talk to folks to figure out if there’s anything he can do to help calm a once-volatile situation between a vocal group of members and management.

During the public comment period of the meeting, members Lois Wier and Anne Kilkenny expressed their frustrations over what they view as the “disenfranchisement” of members in the way the board appointed two new board members — former Palmer city councilman Mike Chmielewski and Valley Residential Services CEO John Weaver — to fill vacancies without allowing the members a say in the matter.

Wier wants the board to rescind those March 4 board appointments and hold a special election in which members can vote to fill the seats. Kilkenny also wants to see the board expanded from eight seats to 11.

“I consider this election invalid,” Kilkenny said. “I urge you to (rectify) the situation.”

Although the board as a whole didn’t respond to their comments during the meeting, Chmielewski told members he considers himself one of them and only has their best interests in mind.

“I’ve watched four children being born and watched my two parents die, so I’ve been there. I’ve taken care of my dad, who stayed with my wife and I for five years as he finished out his life,” said the founder of Radio Free Palmer and former high school counselor. “I’m here because I’ve had some experience with boards and nonprofits. I have no financial interest in being on the WASI board.”

Chmielewski agreed that process is very important and that he and Weaver want to be sure their elections to the board was done properly.

“It’s important for the membership to have a voice and to trust those being given the responsibility for governance,” he said.

Kaplan has continually said that the few vocal WASI critics do not represent all 400 members, but she acknowledged recently that she and the board recognize that mistakes have been made and that they are working hard to be more open and transparent with members.

During her report to the board Thursday, she disclosed that marketing manager Diana Straub is no longer with the organization.

“It was an agreed-upon separation due to the current financial situation,” she said, adding that Straub’s departure decreases payroll expenses by about $10,400 through the end of June.

The reduction of another three full-time employees last month will save WASI an estimated $52,450 through June 30, she said.

Overall, WASI is expected to climb out of its $134,000 deficit and be $31,500 ahead soon when those cuts and incoming grant revenues of $90,324 are taken into account.

The $135,000 wellness grant from the Mat-Su Health Foundation is currently being re-assessed since WASI changed its senior fitness program, but MSHF Program Officer Sharon Scott said she doesn’t expect any problems with the continual disbursement of the funds over the next three years.

The foundation already has given WASI $17,576 and about $8,000 more should be coming soon.

“We just want to check out the new wellness program and make sure it’s safe and meets the same criteria as the former program,” Scott said. “We are committed to continuing to work with WASI.”

Kaplan said after Thursday’s meeting that she feels good about the general mood of members and the board at this point.

“I think the meeting went extremely well,” Kaplan said. “I think we’re beginning to break down the barriers and I look forward to a day when members feel like they can trust the facility and this board. I think it’s just a matter of misunderstandings that got out of hand.”

As Wier, Kilkenny and other members gathered in the cafeteria with Mayes after the meeting, Mayes encouraged them to continue to speak up at meetings and to contact the Alaska Commission on Aging for help on issues of senior rights and how to go about making sure they are getting fair representation.

He assured them he would be dropping in from time to time to check on progress.

“When I talked with the board, I wanted to be very clear about the importance of transparency,” Mayes said. “I believe that’s what they want.”

Contact K.T. McKee at kate.mckee@frontiersman.com or 352-2252.